November 12, 2026
Words by Laura Oakley | Images by Michelle Doucette
Opening Gala: Wednesday, October 19th
The Devour! The Sea Opening Gala – and film – did not disappoint, delivering big flavours, talent, comedy, and more serious themes around lobster fishing and the impact it has on communities where it is prevalent. The opening gala reception, presented by Taste of Nova Scotia, featured eight food stations and just as many beverage hubs. Sips were provided by Barrelling Tide Distillery, Shipwright Brewing Company, Beausoleil Farmstead, Chain Yard Cider, Church Brewing Company, L’Acadie Vineyards, Grand Pré Wines, Benjamin Bridge, and Tatamagouche Brewing Company. The most interesting thing I drank that night was the purple-hued “Butterfly Effect” vinous cider from Beausoleil Farmstead. This vibrant, lightly sparkling bevvie is made from L’Acadie Blanc infused with butterfly pea flowers (that’s what makes it purple), blended with crisp local cider.
D’Eon Oyster Company was onsite shucking Eel Lake Oysters, and newcomer Kiss the Sea Oysters had a portable oyster station set up to shuck Guysborough County Fortune Oysters. Afishionado Fishmongers featured its Sustainable Blue smoked local salmon as a smoked salmon mousse atop a bite-sized piece of cucumber. ArtCan Kitchen came in big with two dishes – sweet and savoury – a borscht shooter with a herby focaccia “pillow” and a pear and cardamom almond torte with berry sauce.
Fox Harb’r Resort created an elaborate, action-oriented dish dubbed “Northumberland Pearls”. These were puri spheres filled with brined Malagash quahog, dulse and smoked bonito, Annapolis Fine Cheese fromage blanc, celery root, and breadcrumbs, finished with a generous pour of lobster vichyssoise by chef Gene Cormier. Mahone Bay’s Mateus Bistro served Nova Scotia kelp and shrimp risotto with smoked butter-poached monkfish, LaHave Saffron mascarpone cream, fried crisps, and Kira’s Spiced Jelly.
The only non-seafood dish was from Freedom Culinary Culture, a smoky chilli made with Brothers Pepperoni and local beef, topped with homemade cornbread croutons, sour cream and cheddar cheese. This was not a competition and we enjoyed every single dish, but I will shout-out my favourite bite, which was the shrimp aguachile with green apple, cilantro, and avocado cream from The Carleton. (It should be mentioned that aguachile is one of my favourite things to eat, ever.)
Following the reception we all headed to Denton Hall on Acadia University’s campus to watch a screening of the documentary Bucks Harbour, the directorial debut from Pete Muller. This film offered a captivating look at the lives of men and boys in a remote lobster fishing community in Maine, and afterward Muller was interviewed on stage by emcee Ali Hassan and took audience questions. I’m not a film critic, but I enjoyed this (docu-dramedy?) immensely, which blended serious themes with comedic moments thanks to the authenticity of the colourful Bucks Harbour residents who were featured. We capped off an extraordinary day at the afterparty with more oysters, plus succulent hamachi crudo from chef Ken Feldmann (another favourite bite).
Thursday, October 20th
Thursday at Devour was an adventure! Starting with a panel discussion entitled “From Sea to Table: How Chefs & Restaurants Can Drive Ocean Conservation” featuring chefs and sustainable seafood advocates Ned Bell, Ethan Angnatok, and Charlotte Langley. Following that, Michelle captured the beautiful dishes at Benjamin Bridge for the Tide & Vine Luncheon featuring Atlantic Canadian chefs Renée Lavallée, Adam Loo, and Ken Pittman. At this event guests could visit chefs at their stations where the dishes were paired with Benjamin Bridge wines. Renée, representing Nova Scotia, served three dishes: a velouté of Jerusalem artichoke with snow crab and crab apple syrup; Nova Scotia cold water shrimp salad with heirloom tomatoes, citrus, basil, and basil oil; and The Canteen carrot cake. Adam Loo from Prince Edward Island served a braised short rib gyoza with ssamjang, and lobster croquettes with lemon and dill aioli. Ken Pittman of Newfoundland rounded out the offering with pease pudding dumplings with Newfoundland ice shrimp, salt beef XO sauce, and breadcrumbs.
While Michelle was at the winery I grabbed a seat at the riveting (and well-attended) bluefin tuna culinary workshop where we watched Vancouver chef Joël Watanabe (of Michelin-starred Kissa Tanto) break down a (small!) 250-pound fish. The fishermen from Port Hood, Cape Breton, who caught the tuna were on-site to watch the workshop and answer some questions. The crowd went freerange, just shouting out questions at Watanabe as they came up, who charmingly answered everyone while elbow-deep in raw tuna flesh (literally hacking at bones). I learned much about the anatomy of a tuna, the intricacies of how they are caught and immediately preserved onboard the fishing vessel, and how chefs butcher them and determine the cost of selling tuna in their restaurants. Bonus – we all got to eat a piece of fresh sashimi at the end. It turns out raw tuna needs to be aged to improve flavour (much like beef), so this wasn’t actually the best sashimi I’ve had. It tasted more strongly of iron, but it did melt in your mouth. Michelle joined in just in time to capture some of the action.
Coming up in the next post we’ll cover Thursday night’s Neptune Night Market in depth. Along with some of Friday’s events: a chowder workshop put on by Renée; a zero-proof mixology workshop; another winery luncheon; and the launch of Charlotte Langley’s new podcast!
